Beautiful, Benetton!

October 06, 1998|By Candace Purdom.

Photographers for Benetton skipped the high-fashion runways and found their latest models at a German school for children with disabilities. The kids star in the clothing company's fall catalog, The Sunflowers; in magazine ads (check Seventeen, Glamour and Mademoiselle); and on billboards in Europe and the U.S. You'll spot kids from the St. Valentin Institute cooking, skating, skiing and just goofing off.

Past Benetton ads have been famous for shaking things up. But this time they're a lesson in how we look at looks. Photographer Oliviero Toscani says his inspiration is the motto, "Stupid people see beauty in only beautiful things."